Hosting French clients in Paris: what they expect from the food

What time do French clients expect lunch?

Later than you might think, and at a fixed time. In Paris, a business lunch starts between 12:15 and 13:00. A meeting that runs from 10:00 to 14:00 with food at 11:45 feels rushed; the same meeting with lunch at 12:30 feels planned.

The other expectation is that lunch is a pause, even a short one. Eating with one hand while the presentation continues is normal for an internal workshop. With clients in the room, stop the slides for twenty minutes. It costs nothing and it is noticed.

Morning meetings follow the same logic. A client arriving at 9:00 expects coffee in a real quantity and something to eat with it, not a tin of biscuits. The Signature Executive Breakfast brings all-butter croissants, pains au chocolat and apple turnovers, smoked salmon toast, a boiled egg, fromage blanc with red berry coulis, fruit salad and juice, with coffee and tea in flasks. Order it for the 7 to 9 am slot, so it is on the table before the first handshake.

What does a proper French business lunch look like?

Four moments: a starter, a main, cheese, dessert. Bread is not a side; it is expected. Cheese is a course of its own, not a cube on a skewer. And the meal ends with coffee.

At the meeting table, an individual tray covers all four without anyone leaving their seat. The Gastronomic Meal Tray holds smoked salmon with lemon, cold roast beef with tartare sauce, a trio of matured cheeses and a slice of lemon tart, with a bread roll, cutlery and napkin. For a larger group with a separate table, the Signature Lunch Buffet brings tomato and mozzarella, quinoa salad, smoked salmon, roast chicken and roast beef, matured cheeses, lemon tart and fruit salad, with fresh bread and water included.

Should you serve wine, champagne or coffee?

Coffee, always. Order coffee and tea on tap with lunch at €2.20 per guest; breakfasts already include it. Still and sparkling water come with every menu: put both on the table, French guests will look for the sparkling one.

Wine at a working lunch is a judgement call that depends on the client and the afternoon ahead. Our year-round menus do not include wine; a glass of champagne is available as an option at €9.90 per guest, which suits a signing or a toast better than a lunch. If you want wine with the meal, serve your own, opened just before.

What do French guests expect from an evening reception?

Enough food to skip dinner. A reception that starts at 18:30 and runs two or three hours is, for French guests, the evening meal: they call it an apéritif dînatoire. Plan 20 pieces per guest, savoury first and sweet at the end. The Signature Evening Cocktail Reception has 14 savoury pieces (smoked salmon blini, prawn summer roll, smoked duck breast on spiced bread, Comté gougère) and 6 sweet ones.

A light reception of a few crisps and a glass is read as an after-work, not as hospitality. Notice is 24 hours for this menu, 48 from 100 guests, and on-site set-up is available as an option, €90 up to 30 guests.

Which small details do French guests notice?

Cheese at the right temperature: take it out of the fridge half an hour before serving. Bread that is not an afterthought. A table laid in order, starters first, desserts at the end, rather than everything mixed together. Napkins within reach.

And the label on a vegetarian tray, so nobody has to ask in front of the room. Give the number of vegetarian guests when ordering; allergens are listed on every menu page. Tableware is disposable, with no china or glassware, so if the meeting is a formal one, consider bringing a few real glasses for the water.

Our view: French clients forgive a simple menu; they notice a rushed one. Pick the moment, keep the four courses, and let them sit down for twenty minutes.